Apps & Software

A Hackathon for Immigration Reform Worth Its Weight in Code

On the second floor of building No. 3 at LinkedIn's headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., a large blue cooler sits nearly empty, a few surviving ice cubes floating alongside even fewer unopened energy drinks.

Scattered throughout the conference room are a half dozen tables, each covered in laptops, water bottles and empty coffee cups. Most importantly, they are surrounded by bleary-eyed hackers.

It is hour 22 of a 24-hour hackathon, where coders join together to build new products and programs from scratch in a short amount of time. The scene is not uncommon in Silicon Valley. Every startup and tech company worth its weight in code has hosted at least one internal hackathon. (LinkedIn, for example, has a company-wide one every month.)

But the scene in building No. 3 is different. Many of the coders are undocumented immigrants, and the projects they are working on could very well change their lives.

LinkedIn played host to the first known DREAMer Hackathon on Thursday, bringing together 20 to 25 undocumented immigrants to join Silicon Valley tech veterans in a quest to further immigration reform. The teams created projects like websites and apps, some meant to educate citizens about immigration issues, others meant to connect constituents with the congressional leaders who represent them. (A few actually do both.)

One team built an iOS app called Forward Now that identifies and features influential people in support of immigration reform. App users can then view quotes or ideas from their favorite influencers, including Oprah and singer Shakira, and choose to join their favorite influencers in declaring their commitment to reform. Users could then use the app to send a tweet or Facebook message that reads, for example, "I go FWD with Oprah."

The app also allows users to send messages to their local congressmen or mail them postcards for free.

Another group built a website called Push4Reform, which aggregates the political positions on immigration reform of all members of Congress. Users can see where their own representatives stand and use the site to share their own ideas or connect with political leaders.

The hackathon was orchestrated by FWD.us, an organization started in January to inspire the tech community to connect with the goings-on in Washington, D.C., by promoting policy and encouraging influential tech leaders to speak up. The founding team reads like a who's who of tech royalty, including Microsoft founder Bill Gates, LinkedIn cofounder Reid Hoffman, and Facebook cofounder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg.

Joe Green, the president and cofounder of FWD.us, developed the idea in Washington with Zuckerberg, his former college roommate, where he was visiting those fighting for immigration reform in the Capitol. A young undocumented woman approached Zuckerberg and asked him about coding, Green recalled.

The idea for a hackathon hit him on the spot. Not only does it promote immigration reform, Green said, but also shows the world that undocumented immigrants can be talented coders, too.

"There's nothing more Silicon Valley than a hackathon," Green said. "These [Dreamers] could be the founder of the next great tech company."

The hackathon participants didn't just get a chance to code at LinkedIn. Each team was paired up with experienced coders from Silicon Valley, and many of the FWD.us cofounders were on hand for the event's launch on Wednesday.

Zuckerberg, Dropbox CEO Drew Houston, former Groupon CEO Andrew Mason and journalist and immigration reform proponent Jose Antonio Vargas joined Green on Thursday night to hand out awards and bring the event to a close.

Immigration reform is largely viewed as a political issue, but that doesn't mean tech can't play a part. Green believes tech can help bridge the gap that comes when politics get in the way of actual policy.

One reason the tech community is perfect for promoting immigration reform? Entrepreneurs are used to doing things people tell them are impossible, Green said. "Entrepreneurs don't lose hope."

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